The present invention is concerned with decorative trim pieces or components for buildings, especially for homes or residences, and the invention is particularly concerned with the use of trim or trimming components imparting a decorative effect to the building.
The invention contemplates a system for mounting decorative elements imparting a decorative visual contrast to trim or trimming components of any of a wide variety of types, adapted to be positioned at various different parts of a building. For example, the decoration system of the invention is applicable to such trim components as roof caps, soffits, fascia, cornice pieces, window sills, water tables for use above windows, and various other trim pieces such as those employed at corners of building walls or at upright edges of window or door frames. As is known, such trim components are formed in a wide variety of shapes or profiles and are applied to buildings of various different types of construction, such as plaster or stucco, clapboard or siding, brick, stone, as well as various synthetic material reproduction of these building materials.
The system of decoration provided by the invention is applicable to any of the foregoing types of trim or trim components and it is an object of the invention to provide a system by which a wide variety of decorative effects may readily and inexpensively be secured, thereby providing many distinctive or individualized decorative effects from one building to the next. This aides in avoiding monotonous reproduction of exactly the same appearance, from house to house, particularly in housing developments.
A typical trim or trim component of known type has a shaped profile or cross section frequently including an elongated flat strip and according to the preferred practice of the invention, separate means are associated with such a strip, providing a decorative contrast with the strip, for instance, providing a color contrast with the strip. The system of the invention contemplates an arrangement in which the shaped profile and the separate decorative means have interfitting portions which retain the decorative means in the desired position with respect to the shaped profile of the trim.
In one preferred embodiment, the decorative means comprises a plurality of spaced decorative elements having mounting tabs which are inserted in slots formed in the profile, for instance in the flat strip thereof above referred to.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, provision is made for employment of decorative elements which are of sheet form, with a variety of shapes or outlines, lying against a surface of the trim, or alternatively, in the form of elements which are three-dimensional and present a relief effect against the underlying trim surface.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, provision is made for the distribution of mounting slots on a trim component in a series or sequence, alternate spacing of slots being different, thereby providing for cooperation with and mounting of decorative elements of different dimensions, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.
Still further, it is an object of the invention to provide a trim system of the kind referred to embodying separate decorative means which are separable from the trim, so that the decorative effect may be altered by removing trim elements and replacing them with others.